Jalang'o Threatens To Sue Citizen Weekly Over Article Linking Him To Ksh1B Fake Gold Scam

The weekly newspaper had linked him and Trans Nzoia Senator Allan Chesang as well as Nyaribari Chache MP Zaheer Jhanda to the fake gold syndicate.

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Sep 12, 2023 - 14:41
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Jalang'o Threatens To Sue Citizen Weekly Over Article Linking Him To Ksh1B Fake Gold Scam
Lang'ata MP Jalang'o posing for a photo on June 9, 2023. /INSTAGRAM.JALANG'O

Lang'ata Member of Parliament Phelix Odiwuor popularly known as Jalang’o has threatened to take legal action against Citizen Weekly newspaper over its article allegedly linking him to a Ksh1 billion fake gold scam, which he claimed was defamatory.

The weekly newspaper had linked him and Trans Nzoia Senator Allan Chesang as well as Nyaribari Chache MP Zaheer Jhanda to the fake gold syndicate.

In a statement, the lawmaker accused the publication of making baseless claims without evidence and without verifying the claims with him before publishing the article.

A photo of bars of gold. /STANDARD DIGITAL

Jalang'o further painted the media house as a rogue organization with the tendency to publish negative stories about prominent personalities without supporting them with facts.

He also accused the media house of extorting the personalities by promising to clear their name in exchange for a fee.

"Rogue media must be dealt with! After the steps I want to take against Citizen Weekly, I don't think they will ever sit down and write a defamatory story on anyone again then call to extort you in the name of we will clean your name! I'll not fall for that nonsense! Good day!" he wrote on his social media handles.

The MP further noted that he was prepared to go the extra mile to clear his name and save his reputation.

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2018 signed the Computer and Cybercrimes Bill into law in 2018, which sought to crack down on Kenyans sharing false information on social media.

Under the law, a person who intentionally publishes false, misleading or fictitious data or misinforms with the intent that the data shall be considered or acted upon as authentic, with or without any financial gain, commits an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding Ksh5million or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or to both.

It also states that if one unlawfully obtains data or performs a prohibited act in order to gain access to critical data with the intention to directly or indirectly benefit a foreign state against the Republic of Kenya, commits an offence and is liable, on conviction, to imprisonment for a period not exceeding twenty years or to a fine not exceeding Ksh10 million, or to both.

After the bill was passed by Kenya's National Assembly, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) issued a statement in 2018 urging Kenyatta not to sign it into law.

Apollo Mboya, an advocate and former chief executive of the Law Society of Kenya, told CPJ that the provisions on false news would make it easy for authorities to “gag” journalists with whom they do not agree.

Journalists covering a political press conference. /AGA KHAN UNIVERSITY

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